Cedar Rapids schools’ proposed $117M bond created with ‘actively engaged’ public

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids school board this week championed a $117 million school bond referendum that could go to voters in November, saying it’s a plan created in collaboration with the community.

Cedar Rapids school leaders in August 2024 began meeting with a Future Ready Facilities Task Force — made up of more than 80 community members, business leaders and school staff — to develop a new facility plan.

After an initial plan proposed in February received mixed feedback through surveys and polls, school officials modified it to better fit what the community said it wanted and felt it could afford.

“We took the time to listen to your concerns because at one time the bond was too large,” school board member Nancy Humbles said at Monday’s board meeting. “I thank the community for getting actively engaged. … It’s not about us. It’s about our students in this district. I do like the plan, and this has been a lot of work, but in the long run, we all win.”

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School board members Kaitlin Byers and Jennifer Borcherding were not present at the meeting Monday. Jennifer Neumann attended via Zoom.

The board will vote May 12 whether to put a measure before district voters on November’s ballot.

Chad Schumacher, operation’s director for the Cedar Rapids district, said if the school board votes to move forward with the bond, a committee would begin to gather the signatures needed to get it placed on the ballot.

To take a school bond referendum to voters, at least 25 percent of the number of registered voters in the district voting in the last election of school officials must sign a petition, according to Iowa Code.

School districts, by law, cannot take a position on bond referendums. They can provide the facts about a bond vote and ask residents to vote. But the promotion and advocacy for the proposals come from “vote yes” committees of residents.

School board member Marcy Roundtree urged the community to “embrace the work.”

“You put together a plan you believe the community can get around,” Roundtree said. “Our community deserves new schools. Our teachers, our students, our staff, they deserve for this bond to pass. The district needs it so bad. It’s something to get excited about — whether you have kids in the district or not. If we can pass this bond … this is going to be an amazing accomplishment that we all will be able to celebrate.”

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Here’s what is included:

The plan includes renovations to four schools in the district:

Melissa Davis, who teaches at both Wilson and Roosevelt, spoke Monday in support of the plan. Davis teaches the Program for Academic and Creative Talent — or PACT — that aims to enhance and support the educational experience of high-ability students.

Over Davis’ nine years as a PACT teacher, she’s split her time between the two middle school buildings, often beginning her day at one and ending it at the other.

“I can only support students during a limited time-span. This year, I am unable to offer an after-school support at Wilson because I’m at Roosevelt at the end of the day. That’s not equitable. A merger would allow me to provide more consistent and equitable support,” Davis said.

Gathering community feedback

School officials met with more than 450 stakeholders in April, including teachers, staff and parents. Almost 68 percent said they would support the plan. About 21 percent were undecided and 11 percent said they would not support the plan, said Heather Butterfield, a spokeswoman for the district.

This is an improvement from previous surveys and polls conducted by the district that showed the percentage of people not in support of the plan was about 30 to 40, Schumacher said.

In Iowa, school bond issues — basically, loans that schools take out typically for 10, 15 or 20 years — require a supermajority of 60 percent voter approval to pass. In passing bond issues, voters in the district agree to repay the loan, with interest, through their property taxes.

Schumacher said the bond is part of a larger facility plan to potentially address each school in the district by 2040. “That takes a lot of work and some commitment from our community,” he said.

Bonds are one of three sources of money schools can use to improve or build facilities.

One source is PPEL — or the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy — a property tax levy renewed by voters in September 2024 that can be used to fund school improvements and routine and unexpected maintenance projects.

The other source is SAVE — or Secure an Advanced Vision for Education — a capital projects fund funded by an existing statewide sales taxes allocated by the state of Iowa to school districts based upon certified enrollment.

Dorothy de Souza Guedes, who served on the Future Ready Facilities Task Force, spoke Monday during public comment in support of the new plan, saying it’s one “voters should support.”

“Voting to move forward on this plan ensures several of our district’s historic buildings will continue to serve our student community. … Using the bond to upgrade these schools means PPEL and SAVE money can be used to upgrade other schools. There’s just not enough money in PPEL and SAVE to make our schools safer, more adequate buildings that we can be proud of.”

Taxpayer impact

A $117 million bond issue would cost the owner of a $200,000 home in the Cedar Rapids school district about $7.47 a month or $89.60 per year. If approved by voters, the Cedar Rapids district would continue to have the lowest school property tax rates in Linn County and one of the lowest rates in the region.

The property tax levy for fiscal 2026 — which begins July 1 — will be $13.64 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, a decrease from the current fiscal year.

The plan — if approved — would save the school district $140.8 million in operational costs over the bond’s 20-year life cycle, or $6.48 million a year, Schumacher said. This means the district would see a return on investment of almost $24 million if the $117 million bond is approved.

Another poll to be administered by the Economic Alliance

The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance is again commissioning a poll before the school board votes May 12 to gauge how voters might respond to the proposed $117 million bond. An earlier alliance poll on a much larger bond — at $211 million — found that 55 percent of respondents would “likely or definitely” vote for the referendum, short of the 60 percent needed for approval.

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